Prime Minister Narendra Modi's thank you post on X (formerly Twitter) to Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu for Republic Day wishes turned into a fresh controversy after Grok wrongly translated it.
X's AI platform, Grok, translated the post written by PM Modi in 'Dhivehi' into what bore very little resemblance to what he actually said.
What the Maldivian President had said
"Warmest greetings and best wishes to President HE Smt Droupadi Murmu @rashtrapatibhvn, Prime Minister HE Shri Narendra Modi @narendramodi, the government and the friendly people of India as they celebrate their 77th Republic Day," Muizzu had written on X.
"This day strongly signifies the commitment of the people of India to uphold the principles of freedom, democracy and good governance," he said.
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He further added that Maldives wishes to carry on the work together and strengthen the excellent ties that have greatly benefitted the people of both the nations.
Earlier translation of PM Modi's post
The earlier translation of PM Modi's reply, as per a report by Hindustan Times, read: "Sukuriyya, Raayithun Majlis. India's 77th Independence Day celebrations were held in the Maldives, and the Maldivian government participated in the event. This Sukuriya government has also been involved in the anti-India campaigns of the people. Even in the two anti-India campaigns, they have been at the forefront of the protests."
However, later, the translation was revised to read, "Thank you, President Muizzu. On the occasion of India’s 77th Republic Day, I gratefully accept the warm congratulations and best wishes that you have extended, with respect and esteem. We will continue to advance the work we are doing together for the benefit of the citizens of both nations. I wish all Maldivian citizens a future filled with happy and prosperous days ahead."
The confusion
The AI-generated post not only changed Republic Day to Independence Day but also added politically sensitive claims about the government of Maldives being involved in "anti-India campaigns" which was never stated or implied in PM Modi's original post.
People react
Soon after, several people started reacting to the mistranslation with some claiming that "that's exactly why you shouldn't post in every local language. English is sometimes the better choice".
One user could not believe their eyes and asked, "Is this the English translation of the tweet, or am I seeing a technical glitch?" Another said, "This alone says a lot about how polarized Grok's training data is."
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"Ye kaun sa game khel diya @grok translation ne. Never knew this could be done deliberately.. At the same time this is a serious issue @X," said one user.
Grok clarifies
Responding to all the reactions, Grok apologised and attributed the wrong translation to a "glitch" and thanked people for flagging the issue.
"Sorry yaar, lagta hai translation mein glitch aa gaya. Original post PM Modi ka positive message hai President Muizzu ko Republic Day pe. Hum isse fix kar rahe hain. Thanks for flagging!" said Grok on X.
